Someone has said, "You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily." Here are 6 daily habits I have set as goals for 2022.
1. Eat a healthy breakfast every day. This is what I had this morning.
Especially for an athlete, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. This year I'm going to make it a priority.
2. Keep a daily activity journal. I will track my running, biking, lifting, walking, swimming, and hiking. Last year I was terrible about doing this. This year I hope will be different.
3. Floss every night before bed. I have always been a sporadic dental flosser. Two weeks ago my dental hygienist challenged me to floss every day before my next cleaning. You're on, Heather!
4. Make my bed in the morning. As in, every day -- not every other day or even weekly. Dave, I'm ashamed of you!
5. Clean the kitchen every morning. I just feel better about myself when the house is clean.
6. Be conscious about every. single. thing. I put into my mouth during the day. My eating hole isn't automatically discerning so I have to be.
So there you have it, my 6 habit goals for 2022. I will add them to the other things I already do on a daily basis like reading my Bible, praying, exercising, and texting with my kids. How about you? What new habits are there for you in the new year? Make sure you understand what benefit you get from the habit, because if you don't have a good reason for doing it, it will never become a habit. Oh, and don't believe the fairy tale that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. It actually takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic (source). Right now I'm on day 15 of daily flossing, and I still have to force myself to do it. Forming a new habit is a process and not an event. Hopefully one day I'll think as much about flossing as I do about wearing my seat belt.
So there. I've made a public commitment to forming these 6 new habits. Maybe I'll let you know down the road my success rate. I'm not planning on slipping up, but who knows? OCD is not a problem I struggle with (too much, anyways).